Back to School

The kids started school last Wednesday, so that means that we have been back to reality and routine for a full week now.  We have had time for some of the newness to wear off, and the kids are realizing that we are actually back in school. You know, homework has started.  Mornings are early (really early).  It's not all fun and games.

Summer is so much cooler.

Tyler - 4th Grade

Sanders - 2nd Grade

Gibson - Kindergarten

But!  There is something to be said for being back in school with all your friends -- definitely no boredom around here anymore!  There is something to be said about that old routine that gets everyone up and going in the mornings -- no more laziness!  And we have so much to look forward to with this fall -- football games, trips to Clemson, birthday parties, field trips, lots of holidays, lots to learn, picking back up with our Bible group, a few more waterskiing weekends before it cools off.

Okay, school days aren't so bad...

More Summer...Now That It's Over

The kids went back to school today, and I am not exactly sure where our summer went.  I feel like ours takes a long time to get going with all of the farming that happens at the beginning, and then - BAM! - it's over.

Of course, it is plenty long enough for the kids to get tired of being with one another and start bickering nonstop, so there's that.  School is definitely a welcome break from the constant arguing and meanness that can come out of too much together time.  Or is that just my kids?

But, anyway, let's catch up on the rest of summer...

                                        

I got this picture from a friend who used to work at our packing house.  He was in Philadelphia and happened to see this while walking down the street.  If you will notice, you can see two of our tomato boxes (the Seasides) in the picture!  It is pretty cool to see that your produce reaches so far away!

I don't think I ever introduced you to Mary Beth, our babysitter, or the person who spent the most time with the kids this summer.  Thank God for her, really.  She was such a blessing to us and our babies.  She kept everyone entertained, and it is so nice to know that your children are entertained when you are working ridiculous hours and can't spend any time with them.

I did get a chance to have a movie date with my three favorite little people.  We went to see Madagascar 3 in 3-D.  We went to Five Guys, got frozen yogurt, saw the movie, the whole nine yards. It was a nice little break in our summer routine.

The kids had a blast celebrating the Fourth of July in a little golf cart parade they have every year near my in-laws' beach house.  My kids were on a float with their cousins, and I think they came in third in the parade.  Mary Beth helped them make their patriotic t-shirts.

There were swimming lessons again this summer, and although everyone could swim pretty well beforehand, they are all swimming like little fish now.  I am a huge believer in lessons every year -- they can only get better!

We got in a little visit with our good friends Mark, Jen, and baby Jane.  I hate that they live so far away and we only get to see them in little bits and snatches.  The kids loved meeting Jane, and I loved getting the chance to catch up with some sweet friends.

Do you ever look at your children and wonder how in the world they got to be so old?  I have been wondering that a lot lately, especially when Mary Beth sent me these pictures from their recent hike.  I am telling you, these people look like little grown-ups.  When did that happen?  WHY are they growing so fast?

 I am really enjoying my time with #shereadstruth.  I look forward to my quiet time every day.  We are now on a study of Proverbs.

Brad has finally gotten to a point where he has slowed down.  I have even gotten him to do some reading -- which is amazing, if you know Brad.  He has read the entire Hunger Games trilogy.  I think I am going to move him on to Gone Girl next.

The kids have gotten to spend plenty of time with cousins.

Speaking of growing up, we have had two birthdays in our house.  Sanders turned 7 on August 2.  She and I enjoyed a special Mommy/Daughter day for her birthday -- full of shopping and eating, perfect girl stuff!  This girl is beautiful and fun and loving.  I hope she always stays exactly the way she is.

And Gibson turned 5 on August 13.  Like I said, where did my babies go?  I have had a bit of a hard time that my baby is five-years-old.  I had a hard time when he turned two, and I am having a hard time again now that he turned five.  Five just seems so old, and kindergarten, too?  When I pretend cry and tell Gibson that he is too old, he tells me that he is still my baby and that he always will be -- so then I really do tear up.  He knows how to get his mama, and if he wasn't fifty pounds and too heavy for me, I would still carry him around like he was my baby.  He is a sweet, loving boy, too -- although he definitely has that rough and tumble boyness to him.

I don't know what Brad and I did, but we got some good babies...but talk to me in their teenage years, I may have changed my mind by then.

I went back to blonde, in case you were wondering.  For now.  My plan was/is to be dark in the winter and light in the summer, but with what a pain it was to go back blonde, it may just have to stay blonde.

Finally...we ended our summer with a nice little family vacay.  We went with my sister and her family to Islamorada.  I want to do a full post on that soon (maybe my one post in September!!), but for now, I will give you the Instagram version of the trip...

We left at 4am Saturday, August 4...obviously not everyone was awake at that point.

We pulled Hunter and Joe's boat down there, and with all of the stops for gas and then once we hit major traffic on US1 when we finally got down to the Keys, it ended up taking us 12 hours to get there.  Brad was really excited about that...especially because he had to drive the entire way.  I do not pull trailers behind cars.  Period.

But, it was worth it:

Oh, and we took Mary Beth, which was an awesome idea.  She was a major help and pretty much just part of the family.

We caught lobster and fish and ate them both:

And we basically had the most relaxing time ever before having to come home and face a new school year and the reality of routine.  I am already trying to plan next year.

So that was our summer...how was yours?

#SheReadsTruth

This is going to sound bad.

During packing season, we take a little break from God.

Not a complete break -- never a complete break.  I still pray often.

But we don't have the chance to go to church because we work seven days a week.  I don't get a chance to sit down and read my Bible because I am always at work when I am awake.  I don't get to read the Bible to the kids or do their nightly devotion because I don't get to do the bedtime routine with them because our sitter puts them to bed.  We don't have time to memorize our weekly Bible verse like we do during the normal course of the year.

And I can definitely tell a difference.

I am crankier.  It is easier for me to get in a funk and stay in one.  The kids bicker more with each other.  I miss the kids, but then when I am with them, I snap at them more quickly.

We are Christians.  We need our daily time with the Lord, plain and simple.  It makes a huge difference in our lives.

But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4

Anyway, I saw on a blog and through a Facebook friend something that caught my interest.  It is a community of women who have all committed to reading the Bible and a series of devotions together and then journaling about their readings.  It is called #SheReadsTruth.

I decided to join up, and I am loving it.  I can't wait to see what each day's devotion is going to be about, and I look forward to writing in my journal each day -- although I have to say that is a difficult part for me.  Sometimes it is really hard to actually write down all of your thoughts and prayers on paper!

We started a new devotion yesterday, so I encourage you to join up and start reading.  This one is on prayer.  If you are like me and were taking a little break, this is a great way to get back into reading your Bible.  Click on over to #shereadstruth and see how to get started.

May & June

So, it's been a while.  Farming life and the lack of internet at home have both gotten in the way of blogging, so there is a lot to catch up on...

May:

Brad spent the month of May harvesting blueberries.  We all love that time of year because our refrigerator is always full of fresh blueberries, and we eat them by the handfuls.  I am so happy to not have to pay for that habit because we would be broke!  

I took a couple of pictures while walking through the blueberry field one day:

Sanders and Gibson both have summer birthdays, so they got to celebrate their birthdays at the end of the school year.   I took the easy way out and had Publix make un-iced cupcakes, so all I had to do was put on some icing.  Our counter looked like a cupcake factory for a while!

I got a big surprise for Mother's Day this year -- my own iPad!  I think I said this before, but I got one for Brad for Christmas the year before last, and I really thought that I would probably be the one to use it more than he would (you know, one of those gifts you give someone that's really for yourself?!?!), but Brad loves the iPad and uses it constantly.  And if he isn't using it, then the kids are.  So I have been left out in the dust as far as the iPad is concerned...until now.

The girls had their dance recital Mother's Day weekend.  I didn't get any good pictures during the actual recital, but I got a couple before we left the house.  They had the cutest costumes ever this time.  The only problem with them is they dropped pink sequins all over the house every time the girls put them on.

What I don't love about May is that I always end up feeling like my head is spinning.  The kids are still in school and have a million end-of-the-year activities going on, Brad is never home, my work/commute schedule kicks into high gear, and life just seems to get out of control.  I am definitely a mommy who prays for the end of the school year,  if just to let some of the craziness die down.  

Once school does get out, I am thankful to get down to the coast and just take a deep breath.

This summer we moved into the same cottage that we stayed in last packing season.  It belongs to my great-aunt and -uncle, and it is in between my parents' house and another aunt and uncle.  We miss Brad while he is home busy with his harvest season, but it is so nice not to have to drive an hour-and-a-half to work every day, especially when those work days get really long.

Our family place on the coast is a little slice of heaven on earth...  

There is an old tabby wall in between the cottage and Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mac's house:  

Our home for the summer:
   

The kids love playing in the marsh in front of the house.  There are plenty of fiddler crabs for them to catch, or they can just get muddy!   Sanders, my little scientist, especially loves it.      

The view is not too shabby from any direction:

June:

And, of course, the reason that we are there in the first place, the tomato packing season... We started early this year, on my birthday, May 31.  It was my first ever packing house birthday, and I have to say I would rather not have a packing house birthday.  But, everyone at the packing house made me feel extra special -- there was a pile of gifts waiting for me when I got to work, and our cook made my favorite caramel cake.  So, I guess if I had to spend my entire birthday and most of the night at work, then my family definitely made it the best day possible.

This year held a lot of firsts for us as far as packing season.  It was our first year with our new sales team, our first year in our new office, our first year using two new types of software, and our first year changing the way we do a couple of things around the packing house.  For the most part, all of the changes were good.  There have definitely been some bumps and hiccups along the road, but I think (hope) that most of us would agree that (most of) the changes have been for the better.

However, at this point everyone is just pretty darn tired.  After working such long hours (until midnight or later a lot of nights), it is hard to think positively sometimes.  Right now we mostly live off of our caffeine of choice -- iced coffee and Coke Zero for me (and don't forget the cake!) -- and just try to make it from day to day without killing a family member.  Tempers can kind of run short.

But the last tomato rolled across the belt today, so we will be catching up on sleep soon enough.  I always think that is a bittersweet moment...

My children have been living the life as Brad and I have been slaving away.  Our babysitter, Mary Beth, keeps them very well entertained.  She helped them set up a lemonade stand one day, where they made $45!!  (If you don't count the $20 I spent on the lemonade...)

They have gone swimming at the pool and at the beach.  They go to the library once a week and check out plenty of books and Andy Griffith movies.  They have gone to the theater to see Brave.  They come to see me at the packing house every day for lunch and dinner, and it is a nice little break for me to spend some family time with my babies -- and it is a way for me to actually get to see the kids when they are awake.

This past week Mary Beth took the kids to art camp.  They made some really cute things, like Tyler's Coosaw (or "Cossaw") Farms banner, and they also did some artwork that really impressed me.  The girls really enjoyed art camp, but I am pretty sure that Gibson just got dragged along.

So that, in a nutshell, is our May & June.  I make no promises about my blogging future, but I hope to be around more.  At least more than once every two months...Happy Summer!